Before You Build in Palm Springs, CA: Permit & Rule Checklist (2026)

Palm Springs caps walls and fences at six feet in side and rear yards and four and a half feet in front and side front yards under Zoning Code Section 93.02.00. Near a street corner, the corner cutback triangle limits fences and landscaping to three and a half feet so drivers can see cross traffic.

Palm Springs defers to California Civil Code §841 (Good Neighbor Fence Act) for shared boundary fences. Adjoining property owners are presumed to benefit equally from a boundary fence and share the cost of reasonable construction, maintenance, and repair. A 30-day written notice is required before demanding contribution, and disputes proceed in civil court, not via the city.

Palm Springs requires a building permit for most fences and walls, but Municipal Code § 8.04.015 exempts solid fences and walls up to 42 inches high and open fences, built with at least 90 percent open surface area, up to 48 inches high. Anything taller, or any solid fence over the 42-inch line, needs a permit from the Department of Building and Safety before construction starts.

Palm Springs exempts short retaining walls from a building permit under Municipal Code § 8.04.015, amending CBC § 105.2. A retaining wall not over 3 feet high, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, needs no permit unless it holds back a surcharge or impounds flammable or combustible liquids. Taller walls, or any wall carrying a surcharge load, require a full building permit.

Above-ground pools deeper than 18 inches and spas holding more than 18 inches of water are regulated like in-ground pools under the CA Building Code and H&S §115920+. They require permits, barrier compliance, electrical bonding, and setbacks. Small inflatable kiddie pools under 18 inches deep are exempt but still fall under parental-supervision expectations.

Palm Springs enforces California Building Code Appendix V and Health & Safety Code §115920–115929 (the Swimming Pool Safety Act) requiring barriers at least 60 inches tall with self-closing, self-latching gates and at least two approved drowning-prevention safety features for any new or remodeled pool or spa. Permits and inspections are required through Palm Springs Building and Safety.

Palm Springs allows accessory dwelling units under Municipal Code § 93.23.14, with two approval tracks: a building-permit-only path for converted or limited detached ADUs up to 800 square feet with 4-foot side and rear setbacks, and an ADU-permit track for larger units up to 850 or 1,000 square feet. Height is capped at 16 feet for most detached ADUs, up to 25 feet if attached. The city must act within 60 days.

An accessory building in a Palm Springs R-1 zone needs a permitted main dwelling already on the lot, since the Zoning Code makes it unlawful to build one without one. Where accessory structures sit in a corner-lot side yard exception area, height is capped at 10 feet (15 feet in R-1-AH and R-1-A) and it must clear any screening wall by the same distance.

Wood-burning fire pits and fire rings in Palm Springs must sit at least 25 feet from combustible structures unless equipped with a spark arrester, which shortens the setback to 3 feet for single-family homes or 15 feet at other residential occupancies. They are banned outright in fuel modification zones and Wildfire Risk or Wildland-Urban Interface Areas.

Palm Springs' Fire Code amendments ban outdoor wood or solid-fuel fires whenever sustained winds top 8 mph with humidity under 25 percent, a red-flag condition is declared, or the Fire Code Official posts a warning; above 20 mph winds, no outdoor fire of any fuel type is allowed. Rubbish and trash may only be burned in an approved incinerator.

Palm Springs bans irrigating lawns and landscaping between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and caps above-ground spray irrigation at 15 minutes per station. Drip irrigation, hand-held buckets, and quick-release hose nozzles are exempt, but runoff onto sidewalks or streets and watering during rainfall are both separately banned as water waste.

Palm Springs requires every property, including vacant lots and the parkway strip to the street centerline, to keep its landscaping in a healthy condition. Shrubs and trees must be "trimmed and pruned to retain their health and adequate clearance over pedestrian and vehicular areas," the same maintenance duty that covers unmowed lawns and dead ground cover.